Method to detect critical characteristics of light construction products from the voice of customer

In the construction sector it is important to have continuous improvement and innovation of products due to the continuous change of market trends. To remain competitive, it is necessary to identify customer needs and translate them into technical product characteristics. This research aims to determine the critical characteristics of light construction products from the voice of customer, based on a specific product from the family of joint compounds. To achieve the objective, a combination of interviews and observations techniques are used to obtain customer feedback; then affinity diagrams are used for grouping and classification of comments, finally these comments are organized and translated into critical characteristics of a product by using a matrix based on the QFD “House of Quality”. The principles applied in this matrix are: difference between negative and positive comments, customers´ priorities of the given comments, and comparison of product development against other manufacturers. Product monthly average shipments will be measure for the validation of the effectiveness of the method.